Supreme Court’s dismissal of gay rights in India has made homophobia official and acceptable

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A bench of justices H L Dattu and S J Mukhopadhaya dismissed review petitions filed by the Centre and gay rights activists against its December 2013 verdict, that re-criminalized same-sex relations on the grounds of section 377.

The abhorrence of the original verdict did not lie on the mere fact that it disregarded fundamental rights of every citizen and evidence of the fact that Homosexuality is favored by majority of the scientists and psychologists as being natural, but also in the manner in which it was laid down.

The Supreme Court, had a great opportunity to prove, how the true cultures and traditions of our nation teach us about inclusiveness, love and diversity and how in a democracy, human and equal rights will always prevail over one’s cultural or religious views. Instead they went ahead and dismissed the plea, saying that it’s only a matter of the ‘so-called’ rights of a minuscule minority. Now, that is an absolutely irresponsible statement coming from the biggest Judiciary body of the nation.

Even if it was a ‘single’ person that was being affected by section 377, they were entitled to protect his/her rights and they could not have disregarded it on the ground that it does not affect too many people. It’s like saying that justice has to be given based on the number of people it affects, otherwise it’s not necessary. India is a nation of several minorities & it’s the inclusion of all those minorities that makes us whole as a country. So why leave behind and being partial to sexual minorities?

Since when did the rights of the minorities and the formation of the laws for the protection of minorities in a democracy started getting decided based on what the majority thinks or what a certain religion says? If that was the case no minority in the nation would’ve ever received their rights. Why be biased towards the LGBT community, just because of your personal prejudices & discomfort?

We cannot inhibit somebody’s personal and private freedom, based on our own personal, religious or cultural views. When you deny somebody of the very basic right to fall in love, because of their natural orientation – which they have no control whatsoever on, you deny their very right of existence. You deny their fundamental human rights. Why did the Supreme Court fail to understand that?

It is Homophobia, hatred and discrimination against sexual minorities that should be a crime. The law has existed in our constitution for several years, and has thereby associated a social stigma with the already much-oppressed sexual minorities of the nation. There have been several ‘off-the-record’ cases of Blackmail, harassment and exploitation reported because of the existence of this law, and now Supreme Court’s approval on it’s persistence puts the LGBT community in an even more vulnerable state.

Other than a curative petition, activists now hope for a legislation to be passed in the parliament in their favor, which is definitely not going to be a cakewalk. Tough times lie ahead for the people of the LGBT community, now that the SC has put them at the mercy of politicians. We know that in the end, right has to prevail over injustice. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another 150 years for that to happen.